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Another New Bush Document: Agreed to Active Duty

By Jeralyn, Section Elections
Posted on Mon Sep 13, 2004 at 03:27:25 PM EST
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The spin is so thick right now on Bush's military service I'm having a difficult time even understanding the arguments. First, Drudge. He has two new items up, and the first one I looked at was a photocopy of a typed document (PDF) that Drudge says is Bush's agreement with the National Guard, signed in 1968 by Bush and Captain William Hooper. In trying to figure out the relevance of the document, since I didn't see one from Drudge, I settled on Paragraph G, which says:

Provided I satisfactorily participate as a member of the Ready Reserve, I will be deferred from induction; if I fail to participate, I may be involuntarily ordered to perform 45 days active duty, and/or be certified for induction.

It also spells out what is "satisfactory participation."

I figured this was leaked by a Democrat, to show that because Bush failed to take his physical or take makeup classes in Boston, he should have been assigned to active duty and/or inducted, but since he wasn't, we should assume he got special treatment. Apparently, I got it all wrong.

After reading Drudge's second item, it looks like the typed agreement was a Republican leak to show that a new ad by Democrats attacking Bush for lying about his military service during his 1978 failed congressional campaign, wasn't really a lie at all. Drudge says the typed agreement shows Bush was in fact on active duty for 120 days, and therefore entitled to claim in 1978 that he served in the Air Force as opposed to the National Guard.

"George W. Bush's campaign literature claimed that he 'served in the U.S. Air Force.' The only problem? He didn't," slams a new DNC press release set for distribution. "George Bush has a clear pattern of lying about his military service," DNC Communications Director Jano Cabrera blasts in the new release. "From 1978 to the present day, George Bush has refused to tell voters the truth about his service. It's time for the President to come clean."

But a form obtained by DRUDGE on Monday shows Bush was active duty Air Force, albeit for 120 days.

Is your head spinning yet?

Questions: Does the typed agreement acknowledge anything more than an agreement by Bush to be reassigned to active duty as a consequence of unsatisfactory performance of his Guard service? Is there any evidence that this consquence was imposed upon a finding that he unsatisfactorily performed? Or is Drudge correct, this form states Bush was in fact on active duty in the Air Force? I don't really have the time to read through all the fine print but I'm sure you readers will parse it in no time.

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